The french EPS season VIII kicks off and it seems that VeryGames will not be the only favourite for victory this time as ROCCAT and D4gaming are back in the competition.

The two previous season of the EPS were won by VeryGames but with different line ups each time, now both incarnations of the team will face off in this upcoming season and it will be a great tussle to watch. On the other hand, various teams could cause some upsets, such as D4 Gaming - featuring a few team France regulars. Only four will make it to the lan finals. Let's have a look at the 12 teams taking part in this season of the French EPS.

The Favourites:

ROCCAT

krL, mK, mateOo, smithZz, RpK, luMpy

Having won everything they attended, it's difficult to predict them finishing anywhere other than 1st. But things have changed since their all conquering days, Richard 'shox' Papillon left the the team and has been replaced by someone much less experienced in Michael 'mK' Zaidi, this could be a huge disadvantage for them and ultimately cause their downfall. After a lot of inactivity, one match per week will sign their come back to top level competition. Will they be able to return at their highest level in order to defeat VeryGames? Only time will tell, but Sebastien 'krL' Perez seems to be pretty confident about it.

Player to watch: Michael 'mK' Zaidi - He will have to prove that he deserves to play for ROCCAT. He already did great things with RedLine in the past, but now his game must improve if the whole team want to stay at the highest level.

Prediction: 1st

VeryGames

Ex6TenZ, RegnaM, Shokkk, NBK, victorz, Spl4sh

Recent online results have not been as good as people expected for VeryGames. But victorz is now back in the roster and they have the young and promising NBK as a new addition. They have worked hard for this upcoming season and are - along with ROCCAT - the main contender for the title. Having played last years EPS without having to get past ROCCAT it was a bit of a walkover, It's still very hard to tell if they can defeat KrL's men this time round but one statistic they have in their advantage is: Loïc 'RegnaM' Péron has won every EPS season he played in.

Player to watch: Kévin 'Ex6TenZ' Droolans - Even if it will be interesting to see if NBK and victorz can fit in the line up, the man to watch is definitely him. One of the best player in the world and leader of Team VeryGames, his class and facility in the game are always impressive, and really pleasant to watch.

Prediction: 2nd

D4gaming

bistoufly, bub, enk1or, Ghosty, HysokA, tac

D4 have been just behind both Verygames and ROCCAT for some time now, they have a lot of talent in their ranks but have lacked the consistency to perform at the top level, they will have to show that they deserve to be considered one of the favourites. If they can get a good run of results going their way, and maybe an upset against the giants of French CS:S they have a chance of coming between the VG-ROCCAT stranglehold.

Player to watch: Alexandre 'Bistoufly' Lebozec - The new captain of the French team for the ENC is also the leader of D4gaming. He has already shown that his awp skills can cause some upsets and his strategies will be the main asset for his team if they want to win this EPS season.

Prediction: 3rd

The Outsiders:

The next five teams will fight for the remaining spot in the LAN finals. They all have the players to make it, and only the most consistent over the coming weeks will have a chance to face the favourites off-line.

Nitrose.evg
binouzz, MAS, sasuk, SIE, ZumoO

RedLine
EMSTQD, Soulm8, Rodo, Uzziii, killou

hf.MOTHER
flex0r, AsP-, fRoyGe, NwK, ScreaM, Yaka

redface
OxigN, kevZ, krumpze, apx, Karas

FairFrag
binet, Deathtool, ImpreZ, kTN, okz, Fircrow, Choco

The Others:

ruthLess (kHOPEs, AMG, BLESS, SubaA, lAoSxTilZz, Balrog)
Syndrome-oc (Helkern, InVa, Night, Lambert, Ryo, Cosmoo, kotz)
Who knows ? (LuLucifer, Dylan, LUCAS , m1cZz, chouca, sq, s t A r)
Lord (SCORPION, JPX-, Jojo, sTuDfx, ToRtUe, ultiMa)

The cash price will be divided as follow:

4000 €
1500 €
1000 €
4th 500 €